[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 6 (Thursday, January 9, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 1125-1127]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-28445]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 64

[CG Docket No. 03-123; FCC 19-90; FRS 16384]


TRS Modernization

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: In this document, The Federal Communications Commission (FCC 
or Commission) takes action to update the Commission's definition of 
telecommunications relay service (TRS) in accordance with the Twenty-
First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 
(CVAA).

DATES: Effective Date: This rule is effective February 10, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Scott, Consumer and 
Governmental Affairs Bureau, at (202) 418-1264, or email 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's Report 
and Order, document FCC 19-90, adopted on September 18, 2019, released 
on September 20, 2019, in CG Docket No. 03-123. The Commission 
previously sought comment on this issue in the Further Notice of 
Proposed

[[Page 1126]]

Rulemaking (TRS Definition FNPRM), published at 79 FR 62875, October 
21, 2014. A Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking contained in document 
FCC 19-90 is published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register. 
The full text of document FCC 19-90 will be available for public 
inspection and copying via the Commission's Electronic Comment Filing 
System (ECFS), and during regular business hours at the FCC Reference 
Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street SW, Room CY-A257, 
Washington, DC 20554. To request materials in accessible formats for 
people with disabilities (braille, large print, electronic files, audio 
format), send an email to [email protected], or call the Consumer and 
Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice) or (202) 418-0432 
(TTY).

Congressional Review Act

    The Commission sent a copy of document FCC 19-90 to Congress and 
the Government Accountability Office pursuant to the Congressional 
Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A).

Final Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 Analysis

    Document FCC 19-90 does not contain any new or modified information 
collection requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
Public Law 104-13. In addition, therefore, it does not contain any 
proposed information collection burden for small business concerns with 
fewer than 25 employees, pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork 
Relief Act of 2002, Public Law 107-198, see 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(4).

Synopsis

    1. Statutory Definition of TRS. The original version of 47 U.S.C. 
225, enacted in 1990, defined TRS as telephone transmission services 
that provide the ability for an individual who has a hearing impairment 
or speech impairment to engage in communication by wire or radio with a 
hearing individual in a manner that is functionally equivalent to the 
ability of an individual who does not have a hearing impairment or 
speech impairment to communicate using voice communication services by 
wire or radio. This definition was incorporated into the Commission's 
rules.
    2. In 2010, Congress amended the statutory definition of TRS to 
remove the specification that one of the parties to a TRS call must be 
a hearing person. As amended, TRS means telephone transmission services 
that provide the ability for an individual who is deaf, hard of 
hearing, deaf-blind, or who has a speech disability to engage in 
communication by wire or radio with one or more individuals, in a 
manner that is functionally equivalent to the ability of a hearing 
individual who does not have a speech disability to communicate using 
voice communication services by wire or radio.
    3. The Commission amends the definition of TRS contained in the 
Commission's rules to conform to the current statutory definition, as 
amended by the CVAA. The amended rule does not authorize compensation 
for every call between two individuals with hearing or speech 
disabilities. In most cases, people using the same form of TRS can 
understand each other without additional help from a relay service. For 
example, a call between two registered video relay service (VRS) users, 
in which both parties use video to sign to each other, would not 
require any help from a communications assistant (CA) and would not be 
eligible for compensation from the TRS Fund. The same applies to calls 
between two TTY users or between two users of IP Relay. An exception to 
this same-relay-service rule applies, however, when more than one 
person on a call uses captioned telephone service (CTS), internet 
Protocol captioned telephone service (IP CTS), or speech-to-speech 
service (STS). This is because calls between or among CTS, IP CTS, or 
STS users may still require captioning or re-voicing using more than 
one relay leg to ensure that one party's speech can be understood by 
the other party. Specifically, for calls between or among CTS and IP 
CTS users, each party requires captioning by a CA or automated speech 
recognition (ASR) system in order to understand what the other party 
says to that user. Similarly, for calls between or among STS users, 
each party must have their speech re-voiced in order for the other 
party to understand what the first party says.

Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis

    4. As required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, as 
amended, the Commission incorporated an Initial Regulatory Flexibility 
Analysis (IRFA) into the TRS Definition FNPRM. The Commission sought 
written public comment on the proposals in the TRS Definition FNPRM, 
including comment on the IRFA. No comments were received in response to 
the IRFA.

Need for, and Objectives of, the Rules

    5. The Report and Order updates the Commission's definition of TRS 
to align the definition with changes made by the CVAA to the 47 U.S.C. 
225(a)(3) definition.

Summary of Significant Issues Raised by Public Comments in Response to 
the IRFA

    6. No comments were filed in response to the IRFA.

Response to Comments by the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small 
Business Administration

    7. The Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business 
Administration did not file any comments in response to the proposed 
rules in this proceeding.

Small Entities Impacted

    8. The rules adopted in the Report and Order will affect 
obligations of TRS providers. These services can be included within the 
broad economic category of All Other Telecommunications.

Description of Projected Reporting, Recordkeeping, and Other Compliance 
Requirements

    9. The revised definition for TRS does not create direct reporting, 
recordkeeping or other compliance requirements on TRS providers.

Steps Taken To Minimize Significant Impact on Small Entities, and 
Significant Alternatives Considered

    10. Conforming the Commission's definition of TRS to align the 
definition with the changes made by the CVAA to the statutory section 
225(a)(3) definition will have no impact on TRS providers, because the 
amendment to the Commission's rules will not change the current 
practice of allowing compensation for TRS calls that fit within the 
statutory definition.

Ordering Clauses

    11. Pursuant to sections 1, 2, and 225 of the Communications Act of 
1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 151, 152, and 225, document FCC 19-90 is 
adopted and part 64 of title 47 is amended.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 64

    Individuals with disabilities, Telecommunications, 
Telecommunications relay services.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary.

Final Rules

    For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Federal 
Communications Commission amends 47 CFR part 64 as follows:

[[Page 1127]]

PART 64--MISCELLANEOUS RULES RELATING TO COMMON CARRIERS

0
1. The authority citation for part 64 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 47 U.S.C. 154, 201, 202, 217, 218, 220, 222, 225, 
226, 227, 228, 251(a), 251(e), 254(k), 262, 403(b)(2)(B), (c), 616, 
620, and 1401-1473, unless otherwise noted.


0
2. Amend Sec.  64.601 by revising paragraph (a)(39) to read as follows:


Sec.  64.601  Definitions and provisions of general applicability.

    (a) * * *
    (39) Telecommunications relay services (TRS). Telephone 
transmission services that provide the ability for an individual who is 
deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, or who has a speech disability to 
engage in communication by wire or radio with one or more individuals, 
in a manner that is functionally equivalent to the ability of a hearing 
individual who does not have a speech disability to communicate using 
voice communication services by wire or radio.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2019-28445 Filed 1-8-20; 8:45 am]
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